Faculty Mentor Name
Rolly Kali-Rai
Abstract
During Bridge, the after-school program provided at Ansel Adams Elementary, observations revealed a lack of student engagement despite being offered extracurricular activities such as sports, band, and art. A gap in STEM opportunities was identified as a potential reason for their disinterest. This project designed an intervention to integrate student-led STEM activities into the Bridge curriculum, designed to provide K–6 students with hands-on activities aimed towards increasing their STEM self-efficacy and future academic interest. While the project's full implementation was impacted by material acquisition delays, this focuses on the preliminary phase of the project, such as the plan for integration and collection of baseline data. Student interest and confidence were measured via pre-club surveys. Preliminary data indicated a STEM gap due to moderate interest in science, but a lack of confidence and academic intent. This project serves as a model for implementing STEM interventions in underserved after-school environments to increase engagement.
Location
DeRosa University Center, University of the Pacific
Start Date
24-4-2026 3:00 PM
End Date
24-4-2026 5:00 PM
Bridging the Gap: Impacting Student Engagement through STEM Outreach
DeRosa University Center, University of the Pacific
During Bridge, the after-school program provided at Ansel Adams Elementary, observations revealed a lack of student engagement despite being offered extracurricular activities such as sports, band, and art. A gap in STEM opportunities was identified as a potential reason for their disinterest. This project designed an intervention to integrate student-led STEM activities into the Bridge curriculum, designed to provide K–6 students with hands-on activities aimed towards increasing their STEM self-efficacy and future academic interest. While the project's full implementation was impacted by material acquisition delays, this focuses on the preliminary phase of the project, such as the plan for integration and collection of baseline data. Student interest and confidence were measured via pre-club surveys. Preliminary data indicated a STEM gap due to moderate interest in science, but a lack of confidence and academic intent. This project serves as a model for implementing STEM interventions in underserved after-school environments to increase engagement.
